Yukari Yakumo
General Information Yukari first appeared as the phantasm stage boss of Perfect Cherry Blossom with Ran Yakumo serving her as shikigami. Despite being a high-class boss compared to other Extra and Final stage bosses, she's made occasional appearances in later games. She was a playable character in Imperishable Night, partnered with Reimu Hakurei (and supported her in Subterranean Animism), and was playable in the fighting games, but was only a cameo in the background of Hopeless Masquerade. Also, she was also an Extra stage target in Shoot the Bullet and appeared on the Final Day of Impossible Spell Card. She is one of the oldest youkai in Gensokyo, one of the strongest of youkai, and is praised as one of the wisest of youkai. She was one who proposed the Great Hakurei Barrier, which covers Gensokyo, and is therefore tied to Gensokyo's creation. She is the only known youkai who is able to pass this barrier in order to access the Outside World, although there are a few instances like Mamizou Futatsuiwa who's passed it. She also performs surveillance and safety administration (mainly for Ran Yakumo). She is simply one of the most mysterious youkai living in Gensokyo. Personality Yukari is known for being a very youkai-like youkai who sleeps all day and lives for the enjoyment of life. Though she rarely leaves her house, she's well-connected and is acquainted with most of the most powerful youkai as well as anyone having anything to do with the Great Hakurei Barrier or the outside world, although she rarely attacks humans. She has a tendency to toy with her opponents rather than use her full power from the start. If anyone is suited for the role of "mastermind", it's Yukari. She excels at mathematics and is experienced due to her long life. She possesses superhuman intellect, and especially surpasses in dealing with numbers. In Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red, as Ran Yakumo said, this intellect is something that even Ran is not able to understand, to the extent that for example that she is able to determine the depths of the darkness of Avici or determine in an instant how long it would take for Ursa Major to devour the North Star, as it seems. Concretely to what extent this amazing intellect goes is hard to know, but it would be no mistake to think that this intellect far surpasses that of humans. She often has a great deal of insight and understanding about whatever happens in Gensokyo, and possesses considerable intellectual prowess, as well. Though she seems flaky and unreliable most of the time, when the safety or security of Gensokyo is at stake, she won't hesitate to get involved, even if it means using others to do the work for her. For example, in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, she treats Tenshi Hinanawi with much hostility after finding out the plot of the Heavens. She could easily be either a villain or a heroine, depending on her whims. Yukari deals with problems by manipulating others to act to resolve things for her. She seems to rarely act directly except in particularly egregious situations. In all cases, she rarely lets anyone know what her true aims or goals are, and sometimes these goals are extremely abstract. Yukari has a well-deserved reputation of being fickle, whimsical, and lying often, and thus many characters in Gensokyo dislike her. For whatever reason, Yukari takes it all in stride and does not seriously deny any of those comments. Abilities Yukari is with no doubt one of the most powerful youkai in Gensokyo. A few other youkai like Suika Ibuki and Yuugi Hoshigumahave been considered to be around her level. Yukari also refers to Watatsuki no Toyohime as being stronger than she is, and tries to avoid direct confrontations with her. Despite her power, she might still lose spell card battles to humans or youkai. Her physical strength is what you'd expect from a youkai. While the extent of an average youkai's strength is never really specified, their bodily ability is typically very high, so her strength is still far from that of a human. There are some examples and statements which show Yukari's physical prowess: * In Curiosities of Lotus Asia Chapter 12, Yukari's hand is able to effortlessly block and brush aside a mallet swung by Rinnosuke Morichika with all his might, leaving him shocked that a small slender feminine hand was able to pull off such a feat. Rinnosuke said that it feels like he hit a pillow. * Hong Meiling, in one of her Touhou Hisoutensoku win quotes, notes that she felt a odd resistance from Yukari's body (presumably after punching and kicking her a lot), to the point where she wondered if Yukari was wearing something else under that presumably delicate dress of hers. Yukari states in her own win quotes in Immaterial and Missing Power that she has no weaknesses, and even shooting, cutting, stabbing, hitting, or killing her is useless. In Perfect Memento in Strict Sense, her ability is yet again described as being "without weaknesses", and as one of the most dangerous that youkai are known to possess. Her Imperishable Night profile also states that "she easily has enough power to annihilate all of Gensokyo if she so desires", ''while the manual says that ''"the danger and potency of her ability is beyond imagination". By mostly moving around in gaps, one would usually not see her as doing much physical labor at all, and according to Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, since she ends up in blurting out herself such sayings like "to do mountain climbing at such an age", there is the image that she is like an indoors-type youkai, but in the end, she is still a youkai. With the word "boundary" in its name, Yukari is capable of pretty much anything put under the influence of this ability. In her monologue during A Beautiful Flower Blooming Violet Every Sixty Years, she explains that this power allows her to control the boundaries "between any and all things", like Gensokyo and the outside world, the worlds of the living and the dead, humans and youkai, and even the day and the night. The most common application of Yukari's boundary manipulation abilities is opening "gaps" which act as portals between two places, where she's able to hold, sit on or emerge from such gaps. By manipulating borders in space and creating a chasm, she is able to link together separate places. According to this, she's able to show up in unexpected places from time to time, but the aforementioned suspiciousness has been refined. Although this gap is a kind of sub-space, within Yukari's gap, one can see a lot of eyes. These eyes are a manifestation of what one can say is the image of "how desires are swirling around" that Yukari sees in the outside world. The description of Yukari's Magic Eye "Laplace's Demon"''spell card implies that Yukari can see using the eyes, as well. Also, although sign posts and other flotsam also drift about, these things also come from Yukari's image of "things that have come to be of no use in the outside world". Other than that, since there is a boundary on the water surface so to speak, as there is definitely a distinction between water and atmosphere, and since there is the boundary called the horizon that separates the sky from the earth, as was said, she can freely manipulate the boundary of all existent things at will. According to ''Perfect Memento in Strict Sense, it seems that not only are physical boundaries, but also the general idea of boundaries are also able to be manipulated, and it seems like she would be able to manipulate the boundary between dreams and reality and open up holes for people to enter into dreams, which is probably how she was able to drag the real Sumireko Usami out of the Dream World in Antinomy of Common Flowers. Yukari is also capable of seeing (and seeing through) boundaries that are normally invisible; when the Human Village was displaced from history by Keine Kamishirasawa, Yukari was still able to see it. It's shown that Yukari can also control the boundaries and bend them to her will as seen in Immaterial and Missing Power when she adjusted the sky by manipulating the border between the daylight and moonlight to unite the day and the night. According to Marisa Kirisame, Yukari can even control the boundary between "a danmaku for play and a danmaku for battle". Although Yukari's gaps can ultimately connect any kind of place, in Silent Sinner in Blue she could only create a gap to the Moonunder highly specific circumstances. She is, however, capable of travelling between Gensokyo and the Outside World. Yukari can create gaps through which only she can pass, or through which anything can pass. Ultimately, since the existence of anything consists of having a boundary, for anything to lose its boundary is a very big thing, as it would then not be able to have its own individual existence. As the rules that govern boundaries would govern this, it is said that to make a new boundary is to create a new existence, and to destroy a boundary is to negate an existence. Hieda no Akyuuevaluated this ability, saying "there is not any sort of defense method nor countermeasure, a power comparable to the power of gods". Yukari is also capable of sensing and repairing damage to the Great Hakurei Barrier, and although in Perfect Cherry Blossom Yuyuko Saigyouji doubts Yukari could make such a strong barrier, she has been refered to as its creator in various occasions. To add to all this, Hieda no Akyuu writes that "manipulation of boundaries" is theoretically a godlike power which would allow Yukari to create or destroy anything, but that all the stories about it are impossible to confirm. Examples of the usage of this ability: * Manipulation of the boundary between lies and truth of the moon reflected on the lake surface for an invasion of the surface of the moon from Gensokyo (Lunar War, Silent Sinner in Blue) * By the boundary between reality and fantasy, she isolated Gensokyo from the outside world, participating in the Great Hakurei Barrier Project (The Great Barrier Disturbance) * Upon Yuyuko's request, weakening the border between the world of the living and the Netherworld, called the Border of Life and Death, making it possible for denizens of both world to easily cross it. (Perfect Cherry Blossom) * Since the Great Hakurei Barrier has loosened, she returned Rinnosuke Morichika to Gensokyo who has been ejected into the outside world (Curiosities of Lotus Asia) * Dragged the real Sumireko Usami out of the Dream World (Antinomy of Common Flowers) * By manipulating the border of master and slave during the Perfect Possession incident, she thwarted Joon and Shion Yorigami's scheme that allowed Joon to win any battle by forcing Shion as the enemy's slave (Antinomy of Common Flowers) Many of her Spell Cards allude to various circumstances involving boundary manipulation, such as: Barrier "Balance of Motion and Stillness", Barrier "Mesh of Light and Darkness", "Boundary of Humans and Youkai", between many others. Backstory Over a thousand years ago, Yukari met and became friends with a human girl named Yuyuko Saigyouji. Over time, Yuyuko was driven to suicide out of despair over her ability to control death. After Yuyuko died, her body was used to seal the Saigyou Ayakashi, a youkai tree which drained the lives of too many humans, by an unknown individual who hoped Yuyuko would never have to suffer and experience pain again. The seal was created as the boundary between life and death. Yukari continued to be friends with Yuyuko's ghost, although Yuyuko gradually forgot who she had been and why she had died. It is not stated who sealed the Saigyou Ayakashi. It was someone who held Yuyuko very dear, judging by the record ("My wish... is that she will never again reincarnate, and never again suffer pain..."). Yuyuko's profile describes the hypothetical breaking of the seal as "breaching the boundary". The boundary sealing the Saigyou Ayakashi is apparently the boundary between life and death, as this is what the BGM that plays during the Saigyou Ayakashi's reflowering represents. Boundary of Life and Death is one of Yukari's spell cards. This possibly implies it was Yukari who sealed the Saigyou Ayakashi. Yukari's profile reveals she knew all along that Yuyuko's body was sealing it, and gives a clear motive, as the tree was killing too many humans. As another possible indication, The Grimoire of Marisa brings up the butterfly dream regarding Yuyuko's spell card during the Saigyou Ayakashi's reflowering, which is a theme associated with Yukari. One day, Yuyuko requested that Yukari use her power to repair the border between the Netherworld and Gensokyo. Yukari sleepily set off to do so. She had known Yuyuko's plan to make the Saigyou Ayakashi bloom could never succeed, but was too busy sleeping to say or do anything about it, or to put the border back to normal after everything was finished, which put her on a collision course with the heroines of Perfect Cherry Blossom. Also over a thousand years ago, the youkai now named Yukari Yakumo organized an army of youkai and led them in an invasion of the Moon, of which Yuyuko was also present for. Publicly, Yukari states the invasion was to take the Lunarians' source of power, an infinite energy source which let them play all day. However, the youkai were subsequently routed by the Lunarians, who possessed superior technology and magic, and forced to retreat to Earth. While Yukari claims she organized the invasion out of desire for that power, her true purpose may be that she did it to teach the youkai a lesson about starting wars of conquest; namely, that it was a bad idea, as since that time, no youkai have attempted to expand their territory beyond Gensokyo. Since then, Yukari has had numerous roles in managing Gensokyo and the youkai. She authored a system of constellations for the youkai. She enacted the Youkai Expansion Project 500 years ago by creating a border between illusion and reality around Gensokyo. She was one of the sages who suggested the creation of the Great Hakurei Barrier 120 years ago, and is believed to be its creator, or at least one of its creators. The Gensokyo Record in Perfect Cherry Blossom's prologue says that the original Gensokyo boundary (presumably the first "boundary between inside and outside" mentioned in Yukari's Perfect Memento in Strict Sense article) was created by priests, but ZUN said in his e-mails that the Gensokyo Record is not reliable, and that only the long lived youkai knows the true history of Gensokyo. Hieda no Akyuu firmly believes Yukari was involved, and the prologue of Curiosities of Lotus Asia, Chapter 26, states that Yukari being the creator of the barrier that separates the human world and Gensokyo is an ongoing rumor. According to Rinnosuke, Yukari's power is what separates Gensokyo from the outside world, and Reimu refered to Yukari as the creator of the barrier when explaining its properties to Kasen Ibaraki and Marisa Kirisame. Regarding the Vampire Incident in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense, it is not stated who were the powerful youkai that defeated the vampire, who signed the contract with the vampire, or who was the one who wrote the original draft of the Spell Card rules that came afterwards (as it was also written on youkai contract paper, Hieda no Akyuu feels it wasn't the Shrine Maiden). However, the colophon at the end reveals that Yukari is the author of a work called "Vampire Pact". This possibly implies her involvement in at least one of these things (if not all three) in the fact that Yukari may've had been involved in the deal with the devil, Remilia Scarlet. At the very least, Strange Creators of Outer World states that she was apparently involved in the creation of the spell card rules. She made a deal with certain youkai to allow them to have their own realm underground in Former Hell if they pacified the evil spirits there. For a while, Yukari took it upon herself to make regular check-ups on various aspects of Gensokyo such as the Human Village or the barrier, but eventually took on Ran Yakumo as a shikigami and left such tasks to her. Relationships Ran Yakumo Ran Yakumo is Yukari's main shikigami, a nine-tailed fox who received her current name and identity as part of their contract. An interview in Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red with Aya Shameimaru implies that she became Yukari's shikigami because of the power it promised, and is quite satisfied with the result despite losing her freedom. Ran was not born before the Genso-Lunar War, so she must have become Yukari's shikigami sometime after that. Yukari keeps the relationship on a user-to-shikigami level. This relationship is analogous to a user and its computer in the Outside World, and Yukari insists heavily that Ran is not a fox, but is a tool to be used. Yukari's own thoughts and perspective in Chapter Five of Cage in Lunatic Runagate refers to Ran with computer terms, such as programming or debugging. Ran is still more advanced than a computer, so Yukari attempts philosophical discussion with Ran from time to time, but typically gets boring responses involving numbers and calculations. Yukari loves Ran very much, but in terms of how one would love a favorite tool. Ran often "forgets" she is a shikigami, taking matters into her own hands without Yukari's orders. This can't be helped because Yukari sleeps a lot. Yukari will physically discipline Ran when this happens (by whacking her with her umbrella). Using a tool and keeping it in good shape (via discipline) shows love for your shikigami (according to Yukari). Ran accepts and seems satisfied with this, and also seems to care for her master, attempting to encourage Yukari after the second Genso-Lunar War failed. But she won't disagree that her master is annoying and is often driven to much frustration by Yukari's double-speak and secrecy. Chen Ran also has a shikigami named Chen. As Ran's shikigami, Chen follows the will of both Ran Yakumo and Yukari Yakumo, though her shikigami "programming" is not as unified with her original personality as Ran's is, and it's implied she's quite the handful as a result. Unlike Ran, Yukari views Chen as both Ran's shikigami and their pet, saying in Subterranean Animism, "I wonder where our cat went off to? It's such a pain when she just suddenly disappears like that. I wish you'd take care to program your own familiar properly. Without any bugs." Unlike Ran Yakumo, Chen is never called "Chen Yakumo", even when "Chen" and "Ran Yakumo" show up in the same sentence in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Yuyuko Saigyouji Yukari and Yuyuko were friends even while Yuyuko was alive more than a thousand years ago, and continued to be Yuyuko's friend after she became a ghost. Of note is that this friendship between Yuyuko and Yukari does not extend to Yukari's shikigami Ran, and Yuyuko does not mind others beating Ran up. Yuyuko seems to be the only one who truly understands Yukari. Yukari knows this as well, often just assuming that Yuyuko knows what she's talking about or what's going on (this is clear whenever the two interact, including victory quotes). The two don't think exactly alike, however, which results in Yuyuko acting in ways that surprises Yukari. Yukari will do something just because Yuyuko asked and vice versa. Yukari believed the Saigyou Ayakashi ate too many human lives. She was always aware that Yuyuko's body was sealing it. It's possible Yukari is the one who sealed it using Yuyuko's body, herself. Youmu Konpaku Being Yuyuko's servant, Yukari helps Youmu with lessons and advice every once in a while, like in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody. Suika Ibuki Yukari was Suika Ibuki's friend before the oni went underground. It is unknown how or when they became friends. Yukari looks out for Suika in Immaterial and Missing Power and Suika does favors for Yukari, such as rebuilding the Hakurei Shrine in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody or helping to investigate the underground. The two play danmaku battles with each other, though it's been a while since the last one before Scarlet Weather Rhapsody. In Oriental Sacred Place Chapter 12, Yukari is with Suika at the Hakurei Shrine New Year's Festival. Suika does get annoyed with Yukari's "dirty tricks", but doesn't go beyond snapping that they're dirty. Suika may know some of Yukari's secrets, as she's referred to Yukari's existence as fraudulent in Immaterial and Missing Power, and stated to Yukari that it was rare to see her "on this side of the world" in broad daylight. Yuugi Hoshiguma Yuugi is one of the oni (presumably Suika is another) that Yukari made a deal with. In exchange for keeping the evil spirits of former hell in control, Yukari would give them their own place in the Underworld and keep the overworld youkai from intruding. Unlike Suika, Yukari does not seem to have any personal attachments to Yuugi. As an aside, from Yukari's Immaterial and Missing Power ending, Yukari believes that if the oni ever do come back to Gensokyo, it must be gradual instead of all oni coming back at once. Remilia Scarlet Yukari uses Remilia as part of her scheme to extract the residence tax and get revenge on the Lunarians in Silent Sinner in Blue. Patchouli reveals Remilia knew she was manipulated but didn't care, because she was bored. Remilia herself has an unexplained rivalry of sorts with Yukari, wanting to get to the Moon in her own way before Yukari could to surprise her. This rivalry might be due to the power struggle mentioned in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense's Vampire article, possibly starting with the vampire incident. The rivalry is mostly on Remilia's part, though Remilia has no objections to Yukari staying for the party at the end of Silent Sinner in Blue or assisting her with investigating in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody. Dialogues in Immaterial and Missing Power seems to imply they've already known each other before that game. It is possible they met at the vampire incident, and that Yukari was the one that signed "the contract" with Remilia. Patchouli Knowledge Patchouli first meets Yukari in her scenario in Immaterial and Missing Power. In Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, Yukari places her in charge of watching the underworld in her victory quote to her. Patchouli later informs and urges her to act about the evil spiritscoming out of the underground in Subterranean Animism's prologue. Yukari finally agrees to act because she "can't let them all just do whatever they want again". It is unknown (even to Patchouli) which incident Yukari is referring to (there are many possible ones). Patchouli continues to collaborate with Yukari regarding the underground, as she informs Yukari of the Palanquin Ship in a Touhou Hisoutensoku victory quote. Shikeiki Yamaxanadu When Yukari senses Eiki approaching in Seasonal Dream Vision, she and Yuyuko leave immediately to avoid talking with her. Perfect Memento in Strict Sense notes that most long-lived youkai were assisted by Eiki at least once and avoid her due to her lectures. Alice Margatroid For whatever reason, Alice Margatroid is willing to confront Yukari in Immaterial and Missing Power despite otherwise avoiding strong youkai such as Remilia Scarlet and Yuyuko Saigyouji. Yukari's also set up Alice's dolls off-page to allow for long-range communications in Subterranean Animism. Her dialogue towards Yukari in Immaterial and Missing Power shows that they knew each other before then. Like most characters, Alice is still suspicious of Yukari by default. Alice is aware of various youkai roles and agreements that Yukari is constantly preaching. Yukari also harshly scolds Alice in Alice's second bad ending in Immaterial and Missing Power, much to everyone else's entertainment. Nuii It’s been said once that Yukari respects her for some reason. This could be because of how strong Nuii is, and when Nuii showed that she was able to defy boundaries, as seen when she broke the boundary of life and death. Lumina Incandesce Yukari knew Lumina back when she still did evil things. She understood the reasons and motives behind Lumina’s actions when no one else did. She seems to care a lot for her, which is evidenced by the time when she desperately tried to save Lumina from being sealed away, even though she failed to save her. Yukari was then devastated and very angry at Rumi and Alice for it. Now, in the present multiverse, she cares for Lumina, sometimes indirectly supporting her. Reimu and Marisa Yukari has always had a close tie to the Hakurei Shrine. Reimu, along with Marisa, first met Yukari when they asked her to repair the border between the Netherworldand Gensokyo in Perfect Cherry Blossom. However, Yukari indicated she is already familiar with Reimu and Marisa to an unspecified extent. With Marisa, it resulted in Yukari playing a prank on her by keeping her up way past bedtime. As a friend, she often visits Reimu at the Hakurei Shrine and often drops by Marisa's house randomly, to which in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense Marisa complains that Yukari never uses the door. Yukari steals food from Reimu in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense, stays at Reimu's shrine for at least a month into the winter in Curiosities of Lotus Asia, and is among several characters when Reimu complains about youkai visitors to her shrine in Wild and Horned Hermit. She sometimes visits to discuss philosophical matters like in Seasonal Dream Vision. As an employer, she's given Reimu several missions in Subterranean Animism, Imperishable Night and Silent Sinner in Blue. An offhand comment in the first stage of Imperishable Night shows she compensated Reimu for it. As a mentor, she is often teaching Reimu not just about Gensokyo (she does that a lot, too, shown several times in Oriental Sacred Place) but also how to do her job as Shrine Maiden. She shows up when Reimu purposefully damages the barrier in Curiosities of Lotus Asia to tell her not to do that, reminds Reimu of her youkai-crushing duties in Imperishable Night's extra, and makes Reimu train hard to prepare for Silent Sinner in Blue (Curiosities of Lotus Asia states the latter is rare for her). The latter included Yukari attacking Reimu at unannounced times. She seems to be secretly looking after Reimu in other ways. Like most characters, Reimu finds Yukari a little bit annoying to deal with. Yukari doesn't mind, clearly joking "How rude!" or "What a greeting!" to such things. In the case of Seasonal Dream Vision for Marisa, she got angry over Yukari's random visit, but it was because Yukari was curious as to Marisa's thoughts on the matter regarding the flower incident, so presumably many of Yukari's other visits to Marisa are for her own amusement, as well. Quotes “Here, in Hakugyokurou where we stand, the border between youkai and humans wears thin. You came this far, and were able to cross over from the human side." "Well, I don't care. Night will soon fall. You were teasing me so much, so I thought I'd play around with the sky a little so we can enjoy day and night at the same time. If night falls now, the sky will probably turn to morning. The border of daylight and moonlight is mine. Do you still think you can have a night feast like this?" "Shooting, cutting, stabbing, hitting, killing...it's all useless against me." "I'll tell you a secret. My weakness is...nothing." “To this beautiful fabric that binds our very world together...I’d say the most beautiful thing...is watching it elegantly ripped apart.“ Additional Information * Yukari is Spooky Rumi’s tallest character, but this is rarely ever seen because she’s almost always sitting on a gap like her idle animation in AoCF. Category:Story Category:Heroes